NFL Health Update: Ohio State to host Moms Football Safety Clinic

On Thursday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Ohio State Head Football Coach Urban Meyer will host more than 500 Ohio mothers at the first-ever OSU-NFL Moms Football Safety Clinic, which will take place at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center at Ohio State University.

The three-hour clinic will include a town hall, providing participants an opportunity to ask Commissioner Goodell and Coach Meyer questions. The women will rotate through a variety of sessions, including: Concussion Awareness with Dr. Russell Lonser, Chair of Neurological surgery at OSU and member of the NFL's Head, Neck & Spine committee; Engaging with your kid's coaches with Heads Up Football advisory committee member and football mom Christine Golic and Steve Specht, coach at St. Xavier High School (Cincinnati) and USA Football master trainer; Heat, Hydration & Nutrition with Rebecca Stearns of the Korey Stringer Institute and OSU training staff; Heads Up Tackling with USA Football & Ohio State coaches and Proper Equipment Fitting.

"We know how a parent feels when entrusting a child to a coach. All parents want to make sure that their child's coach puts safety first and is educated in the most modern techniques designed to promote safe play and teach the skills needed to have fun," wrote Goodell in an invitation to Ohio mothers.

Update on the Sports and Health Research Program

Last week as part of the Sports and Health Research Program -- a public-private partnership between the National Institutes Of Health (NIH), the Foundation For The National Institutes Of Health (FNIH) and the National Football League -- researchers, doctors and scientists representing many of the finest institutions around the country attended a two-day workshop in Bethesda, Md.

The workshop "Brain Trauma-Related Neurodegeneration: Strategies To Define, Detect, And Protect" was a chance for attendees to discuss clinical studies and tools that can be used to better understand the links between brain trauma, risk factors and long-term outcomes. Attendees identified and discussed needed research that could be supported with the NFL's grant to the FNIH.

Additionally, presenters shared information about the current state of science in brain trauma-related neurodegeneration and strategies for scientific research.

Representatives from the NFL, General Electric, U.S. Army and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs were among those in attendance. The workshop was co-chaired by: Jim Kelly, National Intrepid Center Of Excellence (Bethesda, Md.) and Steve Dekosky, University Of Virginia (Charlottesville, Va.).

Research supported by the Sports and Health Research Program will be conducted under the direction of the NIH. The Sports and Health Research Program was launched in 2012 with a $30 million commitment by the NFL to help accelerate medical research of neurological conditions -- such as brain trauma and neurodegenerative disorders -- and other health issues that affect not just athletes but also members of the military.

Teams host Heads Up Football events

Chicago Bears: The Chicago Bears hosted the USA Football Protection Tour last Saturday. More than 200 youth football players, coaches and parents visited Chicago BearsTraining Camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill. to learn about Heads Up Football. The program covered proper tackling techniques, proper equipment fitting and concussion awareness. Parents and coaches learned about Heads Up Football from USA Football representatives, received instruction on proper helmet fitting from Riddell representatives and discussed concussion awareness with Dr. Elizabeth Pieroth, neuropsychologist at NorthShore University HealthSystem and consultant for several, Chicago-based professional sports teams. Former Bears tight end Desmond Clark and former Bears offensive lineman James "Big Cat" Williams joined youth football players for on-field drills.

Dallas Cowboys: On Saturday, the Dallas Cowboys hosted a USA Football Protection Tour as part of USA Football's Heads Up Football program at AT&T Stadium. More than 250 young athletes, parents, coaches and youth league administrators received expert training on proper equipment fitting, tackling fundamentals and concussion awareness.

Washington Redskins: Later today, the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation and USA Football will host the Washington Redskins High School Coaches Clinic for more than 250 high school coaches from the area. USA Football's Senior Director of Football Development Nick Inzerello will present the Heads Up Football program to the participants, while USA Football Master Trainer Dick Adams will demonstrate proper Heads Up tackling technique. Heads Up Football Ambassador LaVar Arrington will also be in attendance to speak about the importance of the Heads Up Football program. Another session, led by doctors from Sheltering Arms Physical Rehabilitation Centers and Bon Secours Virginia Health System, will educate the coaches on concussion awareness. The event will also be attended by Redskins General Manager Bruce Allen, who will lead a 90-minute seminar, and Coach Mike Shanahan. After the event, coaches are invited to view the afternoon Training Camp practice from the sidelines at the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center.